The NJNM Podcast: Ep. 81 - The Hustler (Guest: Courtney Howard from Very Aware)

In this week's episode, Ben and Tyler are joined by Courtney Howard (from VeryAware.com) to discuss Robert Rossen's 1961 film, The Hustler.

Introduction

Character Name Game Intro - 4:08

Media Consumed

Tyler

"Happy Endings" - 5:32
"Unsupervised" - 7:44
Up Your Bookend: "Live From New York" - 9:36

Courtney
In Time - 11:30
The Company Men - 12:58
"Ringer" - 14:17
"The View" - 15:44

Ben

The return of "Community" -17:15

Leprechaun's Revenge - 19:42

Review

The Hustler -28:20

Wrap-Up

Next Time: Double Dragon - 55:56

Listener E-mail/Voicemail/Twitter - 57:17
Character Name Game - 1:01:09

Where You Can Find Us - 1:04:33

Casa de Mi Padre

It wouldn't surprise me if many of you have never heard of Casa de Mi Padre. This parody of telenovelas is almost entirely in Spanish (with English subtitles), and its tiny budget didn't allow for a large advertising campaign. So what's the big draw? For me, it was Will Ferrell spending an entire movie speaking Spanish. If you're the type of person that finds that concept to be funny, then you'll likely find some other enjoyable elements to this movie. For everyone else, I can easily see how the gag could grow tiring very quickly. But even if the comedy isn't quite as plentiful as I would have preferred, there's something charming about this low-fi comedy. 


Casa de Mi Padre
Director: Matt Piedmont
Starring: Will Ferrell, Diego Luna, Gael Garcia Bernal, Genesis Rodriguez

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

I didn't quite know what to expect from Jeff, Who Lives at Home. I haven't seen the other directorial efforts of the Duplass brothers, but they've already built quite the reputation for themselves in the film world. Writer/directors of The Puffy Chair, Baghead, and Cyrus, the duo are widely acknowledged as key players in the mumblecore movement of the early 2000s. (Apart from being a writer, director, and producer, Mark Duplass has also broken out as an actor, starring in the FX series "The League" and one of my favorite films at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the time travel comedy/drama Safety Not Guaranteed.) With established vets like Jason Segel, Ed Helms, and Susan Sarandon at their disposal, the brothers eschew brash, obvious studio comedy in favor of something a much more personal, and as a result they've crafted one of the most heartwarming films I've seen in a long time.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Writer/Directors: Mark and Jay Duplass
Starring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, Judy Greer

21 Jump Street

When I first heard about 21 Jump Street, I couldn't be more disinterested. I pegged the film as another in a long line of unnecessary remakes of 80s properties, nothing more than desperate grasping by studios to conjure and capitalize on nostalgia. Turns out my preconceived notions were proven incorrect; this movie could care less about nostalgia because it's far more interested in being a post-modern comedic commentary on both the buddy cop genre and the teen high school movie. It's action-packed, smartly written, and downright hilarious at times; in short, 21 Jump Street is worth taking the leap.

21 Jump Street
Directors: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco